Hockey skate

ABSTRACT

A skate assembly includes a shell structure and a removable tendon guard. The shell structure includes a heel portion, a lateral ankle portion, and a medial ankle portion. The heel portion is formed to cover a human heel. The lateral ankle portion is formed to extend beyond the heel portion. The medial ankle portion is formed to extend beyond the heel portion. The lateral ankle portion and the medial ankle portion are spaced apart to form a notch extending toward the heel portion. The removable tendon guard is removably attached between the lateral ankle portion and medial ankle portion to cover the notch.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/028,258, filed Sep. 16, 2013 and now pending, which is a continuationof U.S. application Ser. No. 13/271,029, filed Oct. 11, 2011 and nowU.S. Pat. No. 8,596,650, which is a continuation of U.S. applicationSer. No. 12/609,627, filed Oct. 30, 2009 and now abandoned, all of whichare incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure generally relates to skates, and moreparticularly, to hockey skates.

BACKGROUND

Ice skating and inline skating are rather unique forms of humanlocomotion. There a variety of sports that utilize ice (or inline)skates such as, for example, speed skating, hockey, and figure skating.A skate boot is generally constructed of a material upper (e.g., leatherand/or other synthetic material) adhered to a last board. The base isbonded to an outer sole made of plastic, rubber, or composite fibers,which effectively sandwiches the folded edge of the material upperbetween the last board and the outer sole. The rigid parts of the skateboot are comprised of the sole piece and a counter piece, which incombination provide the support structure of the footwear.

Recently, the sport of hockey has demanded improved skate boottechnology to allow athletes to reach higher speeds and/or acceleratefaster. As such, many recent hockey skate designs have borrowedtechnology from speed skating for improved performance. For example,speed skates are known to be comprised of a stiff shell structure 100such as the structure identified in FIG. 1. As shown, the shellstructure 100 is a unitary structure that includes a rear portion 102and bottom portion 104. The rear portion 102 is formed to cover the rearhalf of a human foot including the heel. The bottom portion 104 isattached to a skate blade at points 106, 108. Because of the unitarydesign of shell structure 100, lateral energy is not wasted when askater pushes from side to side and thus the skater can realizeincreased speeds. In addition, as shown, the shell structure 100 onlypartially covers a human ankle and tapers toward the rear of the skateto give the skater improved range of motion of the foot. For example,when using the shell structure 100, the skater can move their foot up,down, left, and right. This increased movement, due to the shellstructure 100 partially covering the ankle, can also improve the skatersspeed and/or acceleration. Although, the shell structure 100 can improvea skaters speed and/or acceleration, it is not practical for hockeybecause the design does not include many desired safety featuresrequired to protect the skater from impacts such as from, inter alia,pucks, sticks, and skate blades.

One common safety feature of a hockey skate is a tendon guard. Tendonguards are usually permanently attached to a rear of the skate thatextends above a skater's ankle and extend upward therefrom in order toprotect the skaters tendon from impacts. Although tendon guards serve auseful purpose, they can reduce movement of a skater's foot most notablyupward and downward movement (e.g., dorsiflexion and planarflexion),which is undesirable.

Some skates have a tendon guard that is more flexible than the outershell of the skate allowing the tendon guard to flex backwards and thusimproving the movement of the skater's foot. These tendon guards areattached to the top of an ankle portion of the outer shell in a varietyof ways such as, for example, via stitching, over molding, thermalbonding, high frequency welding, vibration welding, piping, zipper,adhesive, and staples. Accordingly, these tendon guards flex at thepoint of attachment, which can provide increased mobility of theskater's foot. However, movement of the skater's foot is still somewhatrestricted because the ankle portion of the stiff outer shell covers thelower portion of the skater's Achilles tendon.

Accordingly, a need exists for an improved skate boot that can increasea skater's speed and acceleration while still providing adequate anklesupport and protection for impact sports such as hockey.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be more readily understood in view of the followingdescription when accompanied by the below figures, wherein likereference numerals represent like elements:

FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram of a speed skate shell according to theprior art;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram of a skate according to the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary exploded diagram of the skate;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary side diagram of a shell structure of the skate;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary rear diagram of the shell structure;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram of a removable tendon guard according tothe present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram of a removable tongue according to thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 8 is an exemplary diagram of a side panel of the skate;

FIG. 9 is an exemplary diagram of a blade holder according to thepresent disclosure; and

FIG. 10 is another exemplary diagram of the blade holder.

FIG. 11 is an exemplary diagram of a skate with a tendon guard flexed inthe rearward direction away from the toe end.

FIG. 12 is an exemplary diagram of the skate shown in FIG. 11 with thetendon guard flexed in the forward direction toward the toe end of theskate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one example, a skate assembly includes a shell structure and aremovable tendon guard. The shell structure includes a heel portion, alateral ankle portion, and a medial ankle portion. The heel portion isformed to cover a human heel. The lateral ankle portion is formed toextend beyond the heel portion. The medial ankle portion is formed toextend beyond the heel portion. The lateral ankle portion and the medialankle portion are spaced apart to form a notch extending downward towardthe heel portion. The removable tendon guard is removably attachedbetween the lateral ankle portion and medial ankle portion to cover thenotch.

The skate assembly provides, among other advantages, increased mobilityof a skater's foot, which can increase skating speed and/or accelerationof the skater. In addition, the skate assembly provides safety featuressuitable for impact sports such as hockey without compromising themobility of the foot. Other advantages will be recognized by those ofordinary skill in the art.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, an exemplary diagram of a skate 200 suchas an ice skate or inline roller skate is depicted. The skate 200includes a skate boot 202 and a blade assembly 204. The blade assembly204 includes a blade holder 206 and a skate blade 250. The blade holder206 receives and secures the skate blade 250 in place.

The skate boot 202 includes a stiff unitary shell structure 208, a sidepanel 210 on the medial and lateral side of the skate boot 202, aremovable tongue 212, a removable tendon guard 214, and an inner liner216. The shell structure 208 can be made of any suitable stiff materialsuch as for example, carbon fiber, aramid fiber, such as KEVLAR®, heatmoldable thermoplastic, such as by Rhenoflex Corp of Germany, or othersuitable thermoplastics that softens at a temperature under 80° C. Forexample, in one embodiment, the shell structure 208 can include a layerof carbon fiber, a layer of aramid fiber, and a layer of thermoplastic.In this example, the layer of aramid fiber can be sandwiched between thelayer of carbon fiber and the layer of thermoplastic. In addition, thelayer of carbon fiber can provide a hard exterior surface to the shellstructure 208 and the layer of thermoplastic can provide a heat moldableinterior of the shell structure 208.

The shell structure 208 can be manufactured in any suitable manner knownin the art. For example, the shell structure 208 can be manufacturedusing a wet lay-up process. In this process, the thermoplastic is heatedand shaped to a foot last. Next, pre-impregnated (pre-preg) carbon fiberand aramid fiber are layered over and onto the foot last. Thereafter,the layers on the foot last are vacuum bagged and heated until cured.

The thermoplastic is positioned over areas of the foot where maximalvariation from individual to individual can occur such as the arch (orinstep), ankle, metatarsus, and/or other suitable portions of the foot.In areas of the foot that have less shape variance, composite fibers canbe used to provide a rigid and lightweight structure. The thermoplasticis designed to melt at a temperature at or around 60° C., although othersuitable thermoplastics are contemplated. As such, the skate 200 can beplaced in a conventional oven at or around 60° C. for approximately 20minutes. Thereafter, the thermoplastic portions of the shell structure208 can be easily formed to a particular foot.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the shell structure 208 includes a heelportion 400, a toe portion 401, a medial ankle portion 402, a lateralankle portion 404, and an arch structure 405. The heel portion 400 isformed to cover a human heel. The toe portion 401 is formed to cover oneor more human toes thereby providing protection thereto. The medialankle portion 402 and the lateral ankle portion 404 are formed to extendbeyond the heel portion 400 in order to cover and protect a human ankle.For example, in one embodiment, the heel portion 400 can have a heelheight 407 that is approximately 65% of the ankle height 403 althoughother ratios are contemplated. The medial ankle portion 402 and thelateral ankle portion 404 are spaced apart to form a notch 406 extendingtoward the heel portion 400. In one example, the medial ankle portion402 and the lateral ankle portion 404 are spaced apart by approximately50 mm to 68 mm although other widths are contemplated. For example, inone embodiment, a size 6 has a notch spacing of approximately 60 mm, anda size 12 has a notch spacing of approximately 68 mm. The notch 406begins just above a human heel in order to allow the Achilles tendon tomove within the notch 406 thereby increasing a skater's range of motionwhen moving their foot up and down. As such, the notch 406 allows forincreased (or in some circumstances uninhibited) movement of the anklejoint.

When the skate boot 200 is fully assembled, the removable tendon guard214 is removably attached between the medial ankle portion 402 and thelateral ankle portion 404 to cover the notch. More specifically, themedial ankle portion 402 and the lateral ankle portion 404 are removablyattached to the removable tendon guard 214. In addition, the removabletendon guard 214 can be removably attached to heel point 412 to furthersecure the removable tendon guard 214 to the shell structure 208. Assuch, the combination of the notch 406 and the removable tendon guard214 provide increased (or in some cases uninhibited) flexion and/orextension while protecting the Achilles tendon.

As shown, the arch structure 405 is positioned between the heel portion400 and the toe portion 401 and is proximate the medial ankle portion402. The arch structure 405 is formed to fit the medial longitudinalarch of a human foot in order to provide arch support for the foot. Thearch structure 405 can be made of any suitable material. For example, inone embodiment, the arch structure 405 can be made of a heat moldablethermoplastic that becomes moldable at a sufficient temperature (e.g.,60° C.) such that the foot will not be burned. As such, in thisembodiment, the arch structure 405 can be custom molded to eachindividual foot for greater comfort and fit.

Likewise, in one embodiment, the medial ankle portion 402 and thelateral ankle portion 404 can also be made of a heat moldablethermoplastic that becomes moldable at a sufficient temperature (e.g.,60° C.) such that the foot will not be burned. Accordingly, the medialankle portion 402 and the lateral ankle portion 404 can be custom moldedto each individual's foot for greater comfort and fit.

Referring now to FIG. 6, an exemplary diagram of the removable tendonguard 214 is depicted. The removable tendon guard 214 can be removablyattached to the skate boot 202 attached between the medial ankle portion402 and lateral ankle portion 404 to cover the notch 406. Morespecifically, the removable tendon guard 214 includes a first attachmentpoint 600 and a second attachment point 602. The first attachment point600 can be removably attached to the lateral ankle portion 404 vialateral ankle point 410 and the second attachment point 602 can beremovably attached to the medial ankle 402 via media ankle point 408. Inaddition, the removable tendon guard 214 can also include a thirdattachment point 604, which can be removably attached to heel point 412to further secure the removable tendon guard 214 to the skate boot 202.The attachment points 600, 602, 604 can be removably attached to theskate boot 202 in any suitable manner. In one embodiment, the attachmentpoints 600, 602, 604 can be removably attached to the skate boot 202 viabolts that pass through tendon guard holes and tighten to t-nuts thatare anchored into the shell 208. Other suitable attachment methods arecontemplated.

The removable tendon guard 214 can include an exterior portion 606generally identified at 607 and an inner portion 608 generallyidentified at 610. The exterior portion 606 provides the main supportstructure and can be made of any suitable rigid material that providespliability. For example, in one embodiment, the exterior portion 606 canbe an injection molded plastic piece such as a pebax Nylon elastomer, ST801 Dupont PS Nylon 66, or other suitable material. The inner portion608 is a padded material to provide comfort when making contact with theAchilles tendon and/or other parts of the lower leg. In one embodiment,the inner portion 608 can be comprised of suitable comfort foam wrappedin a piece of CLARINO™ liner material although other materials arecontemplated.

The removable tendon guard 214 has a narrow mid channel design. Morespecifically, the mid channel 612 is narrower and has a smallerdimension than the top width 614 of the removable tendon guard 214. Themid channel 612 can be any suitable width that is smaller than the topwidth 614. For example, in one embodiment, the mid channel 612 has awidth that is ⅓ of the top width 614. In other embodiments, the midchannel 612 can be any suitable width that is less than 59% of the topwidth 614 although other dimensions are contemplated. The narrower midchannel 612 and corresponding notch 406 in the shell structure 208 allowa human ankle joint to extend more freely. For example, the back portionof the lower leg and Achilles tendon can pass through the notch 406 andengage the removable tendon guard 214, which allows continued movementthrough the increased flex allowed by the mid channel 612.

Referring now to FIG. 7, an exemplary diagram of the removable tongue212. The removable tongue 212 can be removably attached to the toeportion of 401 of the shell structure 208. For example, in oneembodiment, the removable tongue 212 can include a tongue attachmentpoint 700 that can be removably attached to a toe attachment point 702of the shell structure 208 as depicted in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. In oneembodiment, the removable tongue 212 can be removably attached to thetoe portion 401 via a bolt (or other structure) that fastens to a t-nutthat is housed in the toe portion 401 proximate the toe attachment point702. The removable tongue 212 simplifies manufacturing since the skateboot 202 and the removable tongue 212 can be manufactured separately andattached during final assembly. In addition, the removable tongue 212can be easily replaced should it become damaged or for any other reason.

Referring back to FIG. 7, the removable tongue 212 can include anexterior portion 704 and an inner portion 706. In one embodiment, theremovable tongue 212 is comprised of one or more layers of foam layers708. For example, in one embodiment, two foam layers are used that havedifferent densities. In this example, the softer layer can be positionedproximal a skater's foot and the stiffer layer can be positioned on topof the soft layer (e.g., distal the skater's foot). This configurationcan be advantageous in that it provides comfort to the skater's foot andcan reduce (or in some cases prevent) lace bite (e.g., the effect oflaces causing localized pressure on the top the foot resulting insoreness and bruising).

The removable tongue 212 is also comprised of one or more pieces ofthermoplastic 710 that softens at or around 60° C. for safe anatomicalshaping. In one embodiment, the removable tongue 212 is also comprisedof two pieces of thermoplastic 710. The thermoplastic 710 can be bondedto the tongue in any suitable location such as the outermost foam layer708, for example. The thermoplastic 710 provides rigidity and support tothe tongue. In addition, when heated, the removable tongue 212 can becustom shaped to a particular skater's foot. The foam layer 708 and thethermoplastic 710 can be covered with a thin piece of black feltmaterial to provide added comfort if desired.

Referring now to FIG. 8, an exemplary diagram of the side panel 210 isdepicted. The side panel 210 can include an exterior portion 802 and aninner portion 804. The side panel 210 is bonded to the shell structure208 and stitched to the inner liner 216 of the skate boot 202. The sidepanel 210 can be bonded to the shell structure 208 using any suitablesolvent based adhesive such as contact cement or other suitableadhesive.

The side panel 210 supports and houses eyelets 800. As such, the sidepanel 210 is reinforced with a reinforcement material 806 in order toprevent tearing when the skate boot 202 is laced up. Any suitablematerial can be used to reinforce the side panel 210 such as an aramidfiber material (e.g., KEVLAR®), for example. In addition, the side panel210 can include a thermoplastic 808 that softens at or around 60° C. forsafe anatomical shaping. The thermoplastic 808 further supports andgives rigidity to the eyelets 800. Furthermore, the side panel 210 canbe heat shaped to the skate 202 boot during manufacturing. Moreover,when the skate boot 202 is heat molded to a particular skater's foot,the side panel 210 custom forms to their foot shape. In someembodiments, the side panel 210 can include a synthetic leather 810 toprovide an aesthetically pleasing skate boot design. In addition, one ormore portions 812 can be removed from the synthetic leather 810revealing the thermoplastic 808, which can be used to display companygraphics and/or logos if desired.

Referring now to FIG. 9, an exemplary diagram of the blade holder 206having various blade profiles attached is depicted. The blade holder 206can be attached to various blade profiles that have different radialprofiles in order to achieve variations of sagital plane foot to iceangles. For example, the blade holder 206 can hold a substantiallyuniform blade 900 that provides a first foot to ice angle 902 ifdesired. In addition, the blade holder 206 can hold a raised heel blade904 that provides a second foot to ice angle 906 if desired.Furthermore, the blade holder 206 can hold a raised toe blade (notshown) that provides a third foot to ice angle (not shown) if desired.Accordingly, the skate 200 can be customized to each particular skatersrequirements in order to provide greater comfort and/or skatingperformance.

The skate blades are attached to the blade holder 206 via attachmentpoints 908 at each end of the blade holder 206. By having the attachmentpoints 908 at each end of the blade holder 206, the blade can flex whenthe skater applies force to the skate 200, which can result in improvedcontrol while skating. The further the attachment points 908 are fromeach other, the more the blade flexes. The attachment points 908 can beany suitable distance apart to achieve the desired flex. For example, a30.9 cm blade can have the attachment points 908 separated byapproximately 25.3 cm if desired. In another example, one of theattachment points 908 can be approximately 3.2 cm from the front of theblade holder 206 and the other attachment point 908 can be 2.5 cm fromthe back of the blade holder 206 although other distances arecontemplated.

The skate blades can be attached to the blade holder 206 in any suitablemanner. For example, in one embodiment, a suitable bolt and nut can beused to attach the skate blade to the blade holder 206. As such, in thisembodiment, the skate blade and the blade holder 206 can be removablyattached so that the skate blade can be easily replaced. Otherattachment methodologies are contemplated.

In one embodiment, the blade holder 206 includes a textured surface 910that has a rough or slightly spiky surface. For example, in oneembodiment, the textured surface 910 can be comparable to that of sandpaper, such as 60 grit or other suitable grit sandpaper. The texturedsurface 910 engages with the bottom of the skate boot 202 (e.g., theshell structure 208) when attached to the skate boot 202. As such, thetextured surface 910 causes the blade holder 206 to bite into the skateboot 202 and thus inhibits medial and/or lateral movement of the bladeholder 206 with respect to the skate boot 202.

Referring now to FIG. 10, a top view of the blade holder 206 isdepicted. The blade holder 206 can be made from any suitable polymermaterial known in the art. For example, in one embodiment, the bladeholder 206 can be made of ST 801 Dupont PS Nylon 66. In anotherembodiment, the blade holder 206 can be made from a polymer having moreflexibility such as pebax Nylon elastomer, for example. The advantage ofusing different polymers having different flexibility provides a skatergreater customization to improve performance and/or comfort. Forexample, a skater that wishes to accelerate faster may choose to use ablade holder made of a more flexible material such as pebax Nylonelastomer, for example. However, a skater that wishes to have a highertop end speed may choose to use a blade holder made of a more rigid lessflexible material such as ST 801 Dupont PS Nylon 66, for example.

The blade holder 206 includes multiple attachment points 1000 that canbe attached to the skate boot 202 (e.g., the shell structure 208) viaany suitable means such as a nut and bolt, a rivet, and/or othersuitable attachment means. In this example, there are eight attachmentpoints 1000 (i.e., four on each side) on the front portion of the bladeholder 206 and six attachment points 1000 (i.e., three on each side) onthe rear (or heel) of the blade holder 206 although any suitable numberof attachment points 1000 may be used if desired.

The attachment points 1000 are apertures having an elongated shape suchas a slot, elliptical, or other suitable elongated shape. Due to theelongated shape of the apertures, a skater can adjust the position ofthe blade holder 206 with respect to the skate boot 202 as desired. Forexample, the blade holder 206 can be adjusted laterally in order tocenter the blade for each particular skater's center of gravity. Assuch, the blade holder 206 is adjustable with respect to the skate boot202 and thus can be adjusted to enhance comfort and/or performance for aparticular skater.

As noted above, the blade holder 206 includes the textured surface 910to ensure that there is no slippage of the blade holder 206 with respectto the skate boot 202 during skating. In one embodiment, the bottom sideof the skate boot 202 can be coated with polyurethane or bonded with athin piece of leather to further aid the textured surface 910 inpreventing movement between the skate boot 202 and the blade holder 206.

Among other advantages, the skate 200 provides increased mobility of askater's foot due to the notch 406 and removable tendon guard 214, whichcan increase skating speed and/or acceleration of the skater. Inaddition, the skate 200 provides safety features suitable for impactsports such as hockey without compromising the mobility of the foot.Furthermore, the skate 200 has multiple components that are removablyattached and/or adjustable so that a particular skater can customize theskate 200 to meet their individual needs. Other advantages will berecognized by those of ordinary skill in the art.

While this disclosure includes particular examples, it is to beunderstood that the disclosure is not so limited. Numerousmodifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents willoccur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit andscope of the present disclosure upon a study of the drawings, thespecification, and the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An ice hockey skate assembly comprising: a bootshell structure comprising: a heel end and a toe end: a heel portion atsaid heel end adapted to cover a human heel wherein said heel portionextends just above said human heel, a lateral ankle portion that extendsabove said heel portion, said lateral ankle portion adapted to protect ahuman lateral ankle from external impacts, a medial ankle portion thatextends above said heel portion, said medial ankle portion adapted toprotect a human medial ankle from said external impacts, said lateralankle portion and said medial ankle portion spaced apart to form a notchextending towards said heel portion forming a U-shaped notch; and atendon guard removably attached between said lateral ankle portion andsaid medial ankle portion, said tendon guard adapted to cover saidU-shaped notch, said tendon guard including a channel overlying thenotch to facilitate flexibility of a human lower leg, that hinges abovesaid human heel, towards and away from said toe end substantiallyuninhibited through the U-shaped notch, wherein said tendon guard isadapted to flex about the channel towards and away from said toe end. 2.The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 1 wherein said tendon guard doesnot extend towards said toe end in front of said human lateral ankle orsaid human medial ankle.
 3. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 1wherein said tendon guard is attached to said ice hockey skate assemblyessentially where said human medial ankle and said human lateral anklereside when disposed in said ice hockey skate assembly.
 4. The icehockey skate assembly of claim 1 wherein said tendon guard is attachedto said ice hockey skate assembly at said heel end and essentially wheresaid human medial ankle and said human lateral ankle reside whendisposed in said ice hockey skate assembly.
 5. The ice hockey skateassembly of claim 1 wherein an Achilles tendon located just above saidheel is exposed to move in an unobstructed manner through said U-shapednotch when said tendon guard is removed.
 6. The ice hockey skateassembly of claim 1 wherein said boot shell further comprises a bootshell sole, said heel portion extends in height from said boot shellsole approximately 65% of where said medial and said lateral ankleportions extend from said boot shell sole.
 7. The ice hockey skateassembly of claim 1 wherein said U-shaped notch possesses a widthspacing ratio consistent with a first notch spacing being approximately60 mm for a first foot that is sized-6 and approximately 68 mm for asecond foot that is sized-12.
 8. An ice hockey skate assemblycomprising: a boot shell structure comprising: a heel end and a toe end:a heel portion at said heel end adapted to cover a human heel whereinsaid heel portion extends essentially to where a human Achilles tendonmeets said human heel, a lateral ankle portion that extends above ahuman lateral ankle, said lateral ankle portion adapted to protect saidhuman lateral ankle from an external impact, a medial ankle portion thatextends above a human medial ankle, said medial ankle portion adapted toprotect said human medial ankle, said lateral ankle portion and saidmedial ankle portion spaced apart to form a U-shaped notch when joinedwith said heel portion, said U-shaped notch exposing said human Achillestendon from essentially where said Achilles tendon meets said humanheel; and a tendon guard removably attached between said lateral ankleportion and said medial ankle portion to cover said U-shaped notch,wherein said tendon guard includes a channel overlying the notch tofacilitate flexibility of a human lower leg above said human heeltowards and away from said toe end substantially uninhibited through theU-shaped notch, wherein said tendon guard is adapted to flex about thechannel towards and away from said toe end.
 9. A hockey skate,comprising: a boot shell, comprising: a heel end and a toe end: a heelportion at the heel end configured to cover a human heel; a lateralankle portion extending above the heel portion; a medial ankle portionextending above the heel portion, wherein the lateral ankle portion andthe medial ankle portion are spaced apart to form an opening above theheel portion; and a tendon guard attached to the boot shell, with thetendon guard including a channel overlying the opening to facilitatesubstantially uninhibited movement of a lower leg through the opening,wherein said tendon guard is adapted to flex about the channel towardsand away from said toe end.